Conglomerate Press Corporation plc and its subsidiary companies have committed resources worth more than K180 million to assist the survivors of Cyclone Freddy which has claimed more than 200 lives in the Southern Region of the country.
Newly appointed PCL Chief Executive Officer Ronald Mangani said in an interview yesterday that the group has mobilized all its subsidiaries to contribute towards assisting the victims of the cyclone.
“We have embarked on a group-wide response to the disaster by working together with all the group companies to pool together financial, material and logistical resources to support the exercise.”
“A Task Force consisting of representatives from all the companies under the group has been formed so that we can reach the intended victims with our support,” said Mangani.
He said the group will work hand in hand with other agencies like the Department of Disaster Management (DoDMA) and other humanitarian organizations to make sure that the survivors are supported and helped.
“PCL wears a national face because of our various investments in the key sectors of the economy, and we are very concerned with the effects of the cyclone. That is why we have pooled these resources to help the people who are our vital stakeholders in our different businesses,” said Mangani.
President Lazarus Chakwera declared the Southern Region a disaster area and called for support from different public and private sector organizations to alleviate the suffering of the victims of the cyclone who have lost their loved ones and property, and have been displaced.
DoDMA Commissioner Charles Kalemba indicated that apart from the loss of lives, more than 4,000 households have been affected by the cyclone, translating to more than 10,000 people.